Oatmeal

When we first stumbled across a reference to oatmeal in a smoothie recipe, all we could think of was gummy clumps of raw oats floating in our delicious smoothies – emphasis on “smooth.” But then we realized that there’s a very easy trick to getting it right, and the effort is well worth it!The trick is to grind the oatmeal into a powder before adding it to the smoothie. You can usually do this right in your blender.

Q: I love steel-cut oats for their texture and nutrition, but all I do with them is make oatmeal. Do you have any suggestions for using them in baked-goods or other interesting preperations?Sent by BethEditor: Yes! I love adding a scoop of steel-cut oats to baked goods. It adds a nice texture and a subtle oaty flavor. If you’re making a slow-rising recipe, like one of the no-knead breads, throw them in raw.

Cool fall mornings are best tackled with a piping hot bowl of creamy oatmeal. Milk is usually our number one go-to for making this breakfast even creamier, and we’re guessing it is for most of you, too. Today, though, we’re trying something different. We’re sidelining milk and cream to share five of our favorite dairy-free ways to make the creamiest oatmeal ever. If you’ve never had whipped banana, let this be the time give it a try!

Instant oatmeal can be a lifesaver on busy mornings, but it’s also great when you want to throw together a quick dessert! With just two more ingredients, this pantry staple is transformed into a hot, comforting fruit crumble. Read on for easy instructions for this warming weeknight treat for two. One packet of instant oatmeal makes enough crumble topping for two servings of dessert, and you can use any flavor you’ve got in the cupboard.

While there’s nothing better than oatmeal cooked over the stove, sometimes cooking it in the microwave is your best (or maybe only) option. Whatever the reason, a microwave can produce a satisfying bowl of oats. If you know a few tricks, it can produce an even tastier one than you might imagine. Oatmeal made with milk is not only richer and extra creamy, but it’s also higher in protein and thus even more rib-sticking.

With cooler mornings comes the immediate desire for something warmer to wake up to. The cold bowl of yogurt and granola gets swapped out for a comforting bowl of oatmeal as the season turns to fall. But oats are only as good as how they are made. Here are seven tips to achieve oatmeal success throughout the season. While oatmeal is supposed to be soft and porridge-like, sometimes it can be just a little too mushy. To solve this problem, try cooking up a mix of both rolled and steel-cut oats.

Oatmeal is our go-to breakfast all year long, but especially on chilly winter mornings when we crave something warm and comforting. While it’s quite simple to cook, there’s more to making a really good bowl of oatmeal than stirring together the grains and water over heat. Here are our best tips and tricks to help you cook up a better batch of oatmeal. Before you get cooking, know the oats you’re working with.

It’s so easy to whip up a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. You can customize it to your liking, which means everyone has their own way of making it. Whether you’re a devotee of steel-cut oats or you always err on the side of savory, oatmeal style is a very personal thing. So in the spirit of personal preference, I present to you seven things I never do to my oatmeal. Maybe it’s just me, or maybe you too will find some extra oatmeal love in avoiding these things.

Oatmeal deserves all the praise it gets: It’s hearty, fiber-rich, wholesome, and ridiculously comforting when you wake up and really just want to stay in bed. While the porridge is incredible easy to make, there are a handful of things you can do each time you ready the oats and a saucepan to ensure your bowl will be at its very best. Here are five thing to keep in mind. There was a long period in my life when I just really could not get myself to like oatmeal.

Mornings are about efficiency. How can you quickly get out the door while still managing a healthy breakfast and a caffeine kick? Here’s your answer: Cook your oatmeal in tea. You’re not only getting a buzz from your breakfast bowl, but it’s also creamy, spicy, and delicious! The concept is simple. While you usually cook your oats in a simmering pot of water, cook them in a simmering pot of tea instead.

I love porridge for its earthy flavor and creamy bite, but I also see it as a blank canvas in which to spin tales of delicious and diverse toppings. The opportunities for creativity and invention are endless — from sweet to savory, and everything in between. Once you start to move beyond traditional brown sugar and raisins, you’ll find merriment in blobs, dashes, and slivers of anything and everything lingering in the larder.

We are all busy people in our own ways. Some of us have busy jobs, some manage busy families, others go to school or volunteer — for most of us, there’s no shortage of things to fill the day. So it’s a bit daring then to write about an oatmeal method that takes two hours — even for me, someone who writes about whole grains and experiments with different recipes as part of my job. At first this one seemed like a stretch — that is, until I finally tried it.

Making morning oatmeal often feels like a tradeoff between texture and time. Rolled oats cook up in a couple minutes, but can quickly turn gluey and mushy. And while steel-cut oats are chewier and more satisfying, their 20- to 30-minute cooking time isn’t always convenient in the morning. Here’s a quick tip for making a bowl of oatmeal with a texture that’s just right, in about 10 minutes. It’s simple — just cook a mixture of half rolled oats, half steel-cut oats.

Between my daily breakfast of toast and almond butter and my husband’s post-workout peanut butter smoothies, we go through a lot of nut butter in my household. Normally I just give the empty jars to the dog to go to town on, but I really like this no-waste tip I spotted on Instagram from registered dietitian Lauren Blake: to enjoy every last bit of your nut butter, make overnight oats in your empty jar!

In the warmer months, yogurt and granola are my go-to breakfast. As fall approaches, I start making more and more oatmeal and each year I aim to perfect this relatively simple breakfast. With these three main tips, we’re pretty close to perfection.People like their oatmeal in very different ways. Not just the toppings, but the preparation itself. Some like it uber-creamy and soft while others prefer oats that are more chewy and toothsome.

Q: I adore overnight oatmeal but due to repairs I will be left without a fridge next week.I was wondering, do you think the oats can be left at room temperature? Will they still soak up the liquid?Sent by SerenaEditor: Serena, do you mean uncooked muesli-style oatmeal? Or overnight steel-cut oats? I do prep oatmeal with steel-cut cuts (with water, not milk) and leave it at room temperature overnight, but I wouldn’t make more than a single day’s batch at a time.